Greg Norman

Height: 6 ft

Born: February 10, 1955

Birthplace: Queensland, Australia

Turned Pro: 1976

Sponsors: Omega

Greg Norman’s career, fairly or unfairly, may be remembered for all of the near misses in multiple Major tournaments as opposed to the two Open Championships and record-setting run as the number one golfer in the Official World Golf Rankings.

Along the way, Norman’s attacking style of play, only rivaled by the likes of Seve Ballesteros, thrilled galleries all over the world. The result was a major marketing brand – the Great White Shark – that brought a huge number of new fans to the game.

Born in Queensland, Australia, Norman was a natural athlete who surfed, played rugby and cricket as a youth. Norman’s mother, a single digit handicapper, introduced Greg to the game of golf when he was 15 years old.

Norman turned pro in 1976 after serving short stints as a local club professional. He won the West Lakes Classic, an Australian tour event that year and joined the European Tour in 1977. He became a consistent contender and won tournaments nine tournaments in Europe between 1977 and 1982. Norman joined the PGA Tour the following season.

Norman became a consistent winner on the PGA Tour, winning the Kemper Open and the Canadian Open in 1984. That same year, he lost the U.S. Open in a playoff to Fuzzy Zoeller.

1986 was the year where Norman began to lay claim to the world number one ranking. Norman won ten times around the globe that year and, in a remarkable feat, he held the 54-hole (third round) lead at all four Major professional championships. He was only able to cash in on one of those leads – winning the Open Championship at Turnberry. He lost by a single shot at the Masters to Jack Nicklaus and was defeated by two shots at the PGA Championships when Bob Tway holed a bunker shot on the 72nd hole. Norman added a second Open Championship to his resume in 1993. Norman has more than 85 professional wins and spent 331 weeks as the number one golfer in the Official World Golf Rankings. Norman resides in Hobe Sound, Florida.